đź”— Share this article Pauline Collins, Lead Actress of the Film Shirley Valentine, Dies at Eighty-Five Years Old Pauline Collins, best known for her role in the film Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the eighty-five years old. She died peacefully in her London care home, in the company of her loved ones after battling Parkinson's for a number of years, as stated by her relatives. Her legacy will be defined for her depiction of disgruntled housewife Shirley in Lewis Gilbert's award-winning motion picture, based on the celebrated stage play by playwright Willy Russell. Her praised acting won her the Golden Globe Award for best actress along with a Bafta. 'Sparkling Personality' Collins starred opposite her husband John Alderton in Upstairs Downstairs, appearing from 1971 to 1973 Collins' family said in a statement: "She was a multifaceted person to countless individuals, playing a variety of roles in her life. A bright, sparky, witty presence on theater and film. Her illustrious career saw her play politicians, mothers and queens." "Her memory will endure as the legendary, determined, lively, and insightful Shirley Valentine - a part she completely owned. We knew all those aspects of her personality because her magic was contained in each one of them." They added she was their "loving mum, our wonderful grandma and great-grandma", and her husband John Alderton's "life-long love" "Kind, humorous, giving, considerate, intelligent, she was always there for us," they expressed, appreciating her carers, who cared for her with "respect, empathy, and above all affection" "She could not have had a more peaceful goodbye. We hope you will remember her at the peak of her career; radiant and energetic; and allow us privacy to contemplate a life without her" New York Theater Collins first played the lead part of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theater in London in 1988. She won that year's Olivier award for outstanding actress. The following year she reprised the role on the New York stage, where she picked up numerous prizes including a prestigious Tony award. The movie adaptation was released later that year. Additional movie roles included 1991's City of Joy with actor Patrick Swayze, shot in Kolkata, which brought her wider recognition globally. Born in Exmouth in 1940, Collins was raised near Liverpool and began her professional life as a teacher. Her passion for theater led her to take up acting on a part-time basis, and in 1957 she appeared briefly as a medical attendant in the TV series Emergency Ward 10. She starred in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, portraying an imaginary performer in a London striptease nightclub, the Windmill Theater. After a number of stage roles, she employed her regional dialect to land a role on the show The Liver Birds. Her acting career that she met her husband John Alderton. They married in 1969 and had three children, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard. Alderton and Collins starred together in a number of television and film roles, such as the series Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she played a maid in the acclaimed ITV program.